Dresden – The Berlin Spectatorhttps://berlinspectator.com
This is Berlin.Thu, 13 Feb 2020 16:34:55 +0000en-US
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3232159402125Steinmeier in Dresden: ‘Remembrance Teaches Us Empathy’https://berlinspectator.com/2020/02/13/steinmeier-in-dresden-remembrance-teaches-us-empathy/
Thu, 13 Feb 2020 16:34:06 +0000https://berlinspectator.com/?p=15280Remembrance in Dresden, the city that was bombed by the Allies 75 years ago today, and in which up to 25,000 people died as a result, three months before Nazi Germany was finally defeated, is difficult and complicated because of the guilt aspect. ]]>

Remembrance in Dresden, the city that was bombed by the Allies 75 years ago today, and in which up to 25,000 people died as a result, three months before Nazi Germany was finally defeated, is difficult and complicated because of the guilt aspect.

Extremist right-wingers abuse the commemoration of the victims in Dresden on a regular basis. They use it to spread their disgusting views. Others try to charge the victims of Dresden up against those of Auschwitz. The President of the Federal Republic of Germany, the successor state of Nazi Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, found the right words in Dresden today, only weeks after he had found them in Yad Vashem, Auschwitz and Berlin as well.

‘Bombs Hit People Randomly’

“We commemorate all victims of genocide, war and violence”, Steinmeier said at the official anniversary event. Hundreds of cities had been destroyed in all of Europe. The destruction caused by air raids had been visible all over Europe, from England via Germany all the way to Russia. The President stated that witnesses had described the inferno in Dresden during the night of January 13th, 1945. In two waves, British bombers had dropped their bombs, causing an enormous firestorm. When the Americans had continued the attacks, they had been looking at a burning city.

Steinmeier’s Dresden speech can be heard an seen here (German only). By Phoenix

Steinmeier mentioned the thousands of victims. “Within a few hours, the bombs destroyed what took people in Dresden centuries to build”, he said. Those bombs had hit people randomly. “They fell on children, women and men, on people from Dresden, as well as on refugees from Eastern Prussia and Silesia.” They had rained down on convinced Nazis, but also on resistance fighters, forced laborers and inmates of concentration camps.

‘We Will Not Forget the German Guilt’

The victims of the bomb war would not be forgotten, Steinmeier told the participants of the commemoration event. They were part of “our common memory”, he said. “I am convinced that people who deal with their history and that of their families will have less issues understanding what happened in other places. Sincere remembrance teaches us empathy.” By putting it this way, President Steinmeier connected the victims in Nazi Germany to those who were attacked by it.

“When we recall the bomb war, we think of both the sorrow of Germans and the sorrow the Germans inflicted on others”, he said in Dresden. “We will not forget that Germans started this brutal war.” Not all, but many of them had done so from conviction. “The Nazis and their willing executioners” had been behind the genocide against the Jews, Steinmeier said. “The Nazi regime did not even stop its murders when it had already lost the war. We will not forget the German guilt and we take the responsibility that remains.”

By the way: The publication you are reading, The Berlin Spectator, was established in January of 2019. We have worked a whole lot, as you can see. But there has hardly been any income. This is something we urgently need to change. Would you consider contributing? We would be very thankful. Our donations page can be found here.

]]>15280Dresden: Too Good to be Realhttps://berlinspectator.com/2019/12/30/dresden-too-good-to-be-real-2/
Mon, 30 Dec 2019 05:46:00 +0000http://berlinspectator.com/?p=193In Dresden, tourists from all over the world find what they are looking for. The city’s old town is simply stunning. Indeed the Japanese, American, British but also German visitors who invade the city every day stare at all the beauty in disbelief. Dresden is just too good to be real.]]>

In Dresden, tourists from all over the world find what they are looking for. The city’s old town is simply stunning. Indeed the Japanese, American, British but also German visitors who invade the city every day stare at all the beauty in disbelief. Dresden is just too good to be real.

Tourist guide seems to be a very popular profession in Dresden. At every corner in the city center, at least one guide is busy with his or her monologue about the millions of sightseeing attractions available. It almost seems like there are more tourist guides than people with conventional professions.

Information in Oxford English

On this day, two ladies in their 50s are explaining things to British and American visitors in excellent Oxford English around the Frauenkirche, which used to be a pile of rubble after the war, until it was rebuilt after the reunification of Germany.

The Zwinger Palace is a tourist magnet. Photo: Imanuel Marcus

Three German-speaking tourist groups are on the move as well. One of the young guides sounds very intellectual. Maybe he just came out of one of the many colleges here. A lady who looks like she might be both German and Japanese is explaining things to a rather large Japanese group at the Procession of Princes. Most members of her herd are pointing their iPhone cameras at that truly fascinating mural.

Shooting things from all angles is fun. Photo: Imanuel Marcus

As beautiful and historic the center of Dresden might be, it is also a mess these days. That is because a gazillion construction sites are spread all over the place, including the historic Old Town. The provincial government is building as if there were no tomorrow. The construction activities are messing up part of the Schlossplatz, the Augustus Bridge, the Terrassenufer which is the street along the Elbe river, and they produced two cavities in Old Town Dresden which are as big as several football fields.

Sightseeing Makes People Hungry

A wooden construction site fence around the famous Semper Opera House used to screw up all of those photos, about 30 per minute, taken by tourists who walk in its direction. By now, at least this renovation has been completed. Tourists can actually see the Opera House.

The countless tourists in Dresden need to be fed. This is where the city’s huge restaurant business comes in. For its 550,000 inhabitants, many of whom live in huge apartment blocks constructed in communist times, in the outskirts, Dresden does not need this many elegant restaurants in the very center. But sightseeing makes people hungry.

Another sensational spot: The Fürstenzug mural. Photo: Imanuel Marcus

At one of those many food spots, located on the ground level of a perfectly renovated old building, the chicken Schnitzel with mashed potatoes is not only delicious, but also looks attractive. The design of the meal on the plate almost is too beautiful to eat. Having Apfelsaftschorle, a very refreshing mix of apple juice and club soda (known as sparkling water in the U.K.), is compulsory in Germany.

Luther at the Best Spot

In Dresden there are so many important sightseeing spots, it is hard to find a good starting point. The Procession of Princes mural is 101 meters long and tells the story of a mounted procession of the rulers of the House of Wettin. The Pfunds Dairy was established in 1880. It is safe to call it the most beautiful dairy shop in the world.

Dresden’s Frauenkirche does have a view, from its tower. Photo: Imanuel Marcus

Inaugurated in 1841, the Semper Opera House is one of the buildings destroyed by the Allies’ bombings in 1945. Later, it was restored. The Royal Palace, constructed in the 15th century, was destroyed and rebuilt as well. Another fascinating building to check out is the Sanctissimae Trinitatis Cathedral, a baroque style chapel built from 1738 to 1754.

In 1945, the center of Dresden was destroyed in bomb raids. Thousands died. Photo: Bundesarchiv

It does not end there. The beautiful Zwinger Palace, Brühl’s Terrace, the Golden Horseman and especially the Frauenkirche are places which need to be visited and admired. Martin Luther has the best spot in the city. His black statue in front of the enormous church is the perfect photo object.

The Bombing Raids of 1945

The Frauenkirche, this enormous house of worship, was constructed from 1726 to 1743. Historians believe the chapel had a predecessor, which, according to them, must have been built shortly after the year 1000. It was probably a wooden construction. In the 12th century, a small church was erected on the premises covered by the church today. Archaeologists found pieces of that building’s walls.

The Frauenkirche was rebuilt, brick by brick. Photo: Imanuel Marcus

Before World War II, parts of the Frauenkirche needed to be renovated all the time, since the material used for some walls and pillars which carried the bigger part of the weight of its gigantic dome had been constructed using bad quality stone. There were issues all the time. Metal bars and other supporting elements needed to be built into the walls.

It is not easy to get the giant Frauenkirche into one photo. Photo: Imanuel Marcus

In the fall of 1944, the Allies were fighting Nazi Germany, and only months away from finally defeating fascism. In early 1945, from February 13th to 15th, the U.S. Air Force and the Royal Air Force flew attacks in four waves during which countless bombs were dropped on Dresden. Up to 25,000 residents died during those raids.

The GDR’s Frauenkirche Memorial

Historians are still discussing the question whether those bombardments were really necessary in order to defeat the Wehrmacht or if they even were a war crime, since they obviously targeted civilians. This argument is rather complicated, since the Allies took so many losses and saved so many lives by ending the Nazi terror and by liberating Germany’s death camps.

Walking along the Elbe river will give tourists great views. Photo: Imanuel Marcus

The Frauenkirche was destroyed during those bombings. On the morning of February 15th, 1945, the huge fire storm caused by all the bombs had weakened the pillars of the church. At 10 a.m. they gave in and the dome collapsed. From this moment onward, the huge temple was a pile of rubble.

Tourists invade Dresden every single day. Photo: Imanuel Marcus

The GDR (communist Germany) checked whether a reconstruction was feasible. After a while the regime in East Berlin came to the conclusion that a project of that kind was far too big and expensive. It had roses planted on top of the rubble and declared it a memorial.

Pile of Single Stones

After the reunification of Germany, the Lutheran Church started thinking about a reconstruction again. An association for that purpose was founded. On March 18th 1991, the Synod of Saxony decided to rebuild the Frauenkirche. From 1996 to 2005, the enormous endeavor was implemented. It cost 180 million Euro (160 million GBP or 212 million U.S. Dollars). A big chunk of that sum, 115 million, was collected from donors all over the world.

There is one sightseeing spot every few meters. Photo: Imanuel Marcus

The reconstruction itself was more than complicated. First, every single stone on that pile needed to be identified, registered and numbered in a catalog. The parts also needed to be prepared and missing parts had to be made, while architects tried to figure out how to make sure the new version of the temple would be stable.

The incredible history of the Frauenkirche and the reconstructed building alone justifies a visit to Dresden. So does the beauty of the city’s entire old town. While the main shopping zone is ugly as hell, since most of the buildings there were constructed in former Eastern Germany during the 1960-s and 70-s, many parts are fascinating, including the Blue Wonder, a bridge across the Elbe inaugurated in 1893.

Dresden’s geographical location also makes it a good starting point for a nice little trip to Prague or a big journey to South-Eastern Europe. The distance from Dresden to Berlin is only about 180 kilometers. Do not forget to have a Schnitzel and an Apfelschorle.

]]>193Germany: The Ingenious Ax Heist at Dresden’s Green Vaulthttps://berlinspectator.com/2019/11/26/germany-the-ingenious-ax-heist-at-dresdens-green-vault/
Tue, 26 Nov 2019 07:36:23 +0000https://berlinspectator.com/?p=11693This morning, forensics were busy securing more evidence at Dresden's Green Vault Museum, some 24 hours after at least two men managed to steal very valuable diamonds there. At this stage, only one thing is certain: The damage the thieves caused is enormous.]]>

This morning, forensics were busy securing more evidence at Dresden’s Green Vault Museum, some 24 hours after at least two men managed to steal very valuable diamonds there. At this stage, only one thing is certain: The damage the thieves caused is enormous.

Forensics experts from Dresden’s police department were very busy on Tuesday morning. They continued securing evidence in the Green Vault, a famous treasury in Dresden Castle, the construction of which started in the year 1533. How exactly the thieves even managed to get in, in spite of the multiple security systems installed there, is a mystery.

Vitrine Crushed with an Ax

On Monday morning before 5:00 a.m., most Dresden residents were snoring into their pillows or their spouse’s ears, and only a few were sitting at their breakfast tables, when at least two men were already hard at work at the Castle. The individuals had gotten up very early indeed. After having breakfast long before everyone else, they got ready for one of the most spectacular heists in Germany.

So far, police do not know too much. At 4:59 a.m. on Monday, security guards called in a break-in at the Green Vault. Early on it became clear the culprits knew what they were doing. First they cut a grid which was supposed to protect a window made out of safety glass. Then they broke the latter, entered the building and chose a specific vitrine filled with treasures.

They used an ax to crush the glass cabinet. According to the Dresden police department, it took the thieves only minutes to get this far. Security cameras recorded the heist, but apart from the contours of two men and the light of a flashlight, the footage hardly reveals anything much.

Sophisticated Plan

Police know the criminals fled the scene in an Audi A6, and that they had a sophisticated plan. The vehicle was found some three miles away in a garage, but it was torched. Forensics are checking it. It seems unlikely the wreck will give police the answers they need.

Those responsible for the heist are not stupid. It looks like they may have shut down the electricity before breaking into the Green Vault by setting a junction box on fire nearby, under a bridge. By doing so, they switched off all street lamps in the entire area. Darkness was what they needed.

Before forensics are done at the Green Vault, the museum cannot even tell what exactly the culprits stole. The video footage shows they left some items behind, probably because they were on a clock, meaning they knew the police department’s reaction time. One thing the thieves were not going to do was to waste time.

Diamonds, Brilliants and Rubies

As far as the museum is concerned, without actually having seen the Green Vault first hand after the heist, the thieves stole around a hundred objects containing diamonds, brilliants, brilliant-cut rubies, emeralds and sapphires. According to the institution, a “state treasury” dating back to the 18th century is gone.

On Monday, Dresden’s police established a task force. Ten detectives are on the thieves’ trail. But their work might prove to be very difficult with the little evidence they seem to have. On the other hand, they might know aspects the police did not volunteer information about.

At this stage it is unclear why the two security guards on site called the police and waited, instead of stopping the thieves themselves. Once the first police officers showed up, the culprits were gone.

Beefing Up Security

Far more aspects are unclear, including the answer to the question how the thieves intend to convert their loot into money. Because the stolen objects are famous and ‘hot’, black market dealers might not be able to sell them. Experts are fearing the objects might be taken apart, grounded, melted or changed otherwise.

By the way: The publication you are reading, The Berlin Spectator, was established in January of 2019. We have worked a whole lot, as you can see. But there has hardly been any income. This is something we urgently need to change. Would you consider contributing? We would be very thankful. Our donations page can be found here.

Michael Kretschmer, the First Minister (governor) of Saxony, said it had not been the state museum which the objects had been stolen from, “but us Saxons.” Over centuries, people in Saxony had worked hard for the valuables in Dresden Castle. Other members of Saxony’s government were shocked as well. They now want to beef up security for all museums. For the Green Vault, that intention comes a little late.

In the meantime, one of the most interesting questions related to the heist has neither been asked nor answered: Why did the thieves even enter the castle, knowing their every move was going to be watched live by security guards on monitors? Did they just assume the guards were going to be too scared to become active? Or is there another reason?

]]>11693Berlin: Mozart’s ‘Requiem’ to Delight Audienceshttps://berlinspectator.com/2019/10/04/berlin-mozarts-requiem-to-delight-audiences/
Fri, 04 Oct 2019 13:05:47 +0000https://berlinspectator.com/?p=9024Berlin, Hamburg and Dresden are in for impressive performances of Mozart's 'Requiem', the last piece he ever wrote. A famous orchestra, a choir and the appropriate venues will make those evenings more than special.]]>

Berlin, Hamburg and Dresden are in for impressive performances of Mozart’s ‘Requiem’, the last piece he ever wrote. A famous orchestra, a choir and the appropriate venues will make those evenings more than special.

In the spring of 1789, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, took a big trip. Apart from Dresden and Leipzig, he visited Berlin. The composer from Vienna arrived in Potsdam on April 23rd, where he was supposed to play for Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia. But the King had not arrived yet. Mozart was disappointed, according to historic documents.

Big Night at Apostle Paul Church

A month later, on May 19th, 1789, Mozart arrived in Berlin, where he played for the King and Queen on May 26th. Now, some 230 years later, he will be back, in the shape of his ‘Requiem’. Not that his work wasn’t played in Berlin before, but this last sentence just needed to be included in this Pulitzer Prize-worthy intro (just kidding).

Mozart’s ‘Requiem’ will be performed at Berlin’s Apostle Paul Church by the stunning New Philharmonic Orchestra from Hamburg and the Karl Foster choir in November. The same concert will take place in Kiel and Dresden as well (see details below).

The ‘Requiem’ is Mozart’s last composition.

The ‘Requiem’ was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s last composition. He actually finished only two thirds of it before he died. His widow Constanze Mozart commissioned two of her husband’s students, Joseph Eybler and Franz Xaver Süßmayr, to complete it. They were successful, as the ‘Requiem’ has been one of the most popular church music compositions for 200 years now.

Majestic Sound and Sonority

This piece of work sounds majestic. Its sonority is second to none. The entire combination of this exceptional compositions, a usually large church or cathedral as the venue, a big orchestra and a choir make performances of the ‘Requiem’ a lasting experience.

Volker Hedtfeld, the conductor of the evening, is not a novice. As a child, he learned how to play the piano, the organ and the violin. He studied music in Cologne, before changing to special conducting studies. In Berlin, he later specialized on conducting both orchestras and choirs. Hedtfeld founded the Opus Vocale choir some 17 years ago.

Hamburg’s New Philharmonic Orchestra was founded by freelance musicians in 2003. At home in Hamburg, it usually performs at the ‘Laeiszhalle’ venue, but its members perform all over northern Germany all the time. They have also toured within Europe, in China and Korea.

Tickets for the special Mozart concert in Berlin, which is scheduled for November 24th, 2019, at Apostle Paul Church are available here for 42.25 Euro (46.30 Dollars or 37.60 Pounds Sterling). For the Kiel concert on November 10th, tickets are being sold here. Finally, the Dresden concert at the impressive ‘Frauenkirche’ will take place on November 16th.

]]>7423Dresden: Thousands Join Protest Against Nationalism, Racismhttps://berlinspectator.com/2019/08/24/dresden-thousands-join-protest-against-nationalism-racism/
Sat, 24 Aug 2019 16:21:21 +0000https://berlinspectator.com/?p=7126Today, thousands came together in Dresden, the capital of Saxony, in order to stand up against the kind of nationalism and racism the far-right party AfD is promoting. The rally took place a week before more than 3 million Saxons are eligible to take part in state parliament elections. ]]>

Today, thousands came together in Dresden, the capital of Saxony, in order to stand up against the kind of nationalism and racism the far-right party AfD is promoting.The rally took place a week before more than 3 million Saxons are eligible to take part in state parliament elections.

In Dresden, tens of thousands took part in a protest entitled ‘Indivisible’ (‘Unteilbar’) today. It was a rally against discrimination, racism, nationalism and the kind of message the extremist far-right party AfD (‘Alternative für Deutschland’) keeps on conveying. Numerous parties and organizations asked their members to join the protest.

A ‘Solidary Society’

The Saxon participants were joined by Germans from other cities and regions. Two special trains brought participants from Berlin. All of them fear a swing to the right, days before both Saxony and Brandenburg are up for state parliament elections on September 1st, 2019.

Democracy, Human Rights and social justice were not self-evident, but had to be fought for and defended on a daily basis, the organizers said. The ‘Indivisible’ movement wants to fight radical right-wing tendencies and “reject racism and contempt for mankind”. A “solidary society” is what the movement says it is standing up for.

Some three weeks ago, an ‘Indivisible’ protest took place in Leipzig. Today’s event in Dresden was supposed to be a lot larger, with supporters from all parts of Germany. Popular Germans bands such as ‘Silbermond’ were going to perform at the rally.

‘Saxony is Not a Brown Stain’

The organizers invited prominent personalities who were scheduled to hold speeches at the protest. They included Peggy Piesche, a Black German literature and cultural studies professor who grew up in the GDR, the former communist German state, and the author Carolin Emcke. The Verdi union executive Andrea Kocsis was going to be there as well, in order to take a stand against the far-right.

“Saxony is not a brown stain on the map of Germany”, the federal state’s Integration Minister Petra Köpping said at the event, referring to the color attributed to the far-right. It was important “to defend the values which are important to us”, she stated.

Many Saxons will not accept the extremist right-wing approach taken by the AfD. Photo: Imanuel Marcus

According to Minister Köpping, the protest was “an important sign”. She said the participants wanted to show that there were people in Saxony who solidarized with those who had been forced to leave their countries because of war and terror.

Michael Kretschmer, the governor of Saxony, commented on the protest by saying it was “good” to stand up for democracy and the state of law, but he did not take part. Kretschmer stated a governor and CDU chairman (the CDU is the conservative party of Chancellor Angela Merkel, which he is leading in his province) could not participate in a rally which included left-wing groups like the ‘Antifa’.

The organizers say 35,000 to 40,000 people took part in the ‘Indivisible’ protest (hashtag #unteilbar).